"Fearless Journalism" is Mother Jones' tagline and it truly goes where mainstream media will not…read moretread: Controversial, in-depth and thought-provoking.
It's journalism that's daring, maverick- topics that mainstream outlets won't touch because they aren't sensational or popular or might offend advertisers.
(Having worked in publishing for years- not hard-hitting journalism mind you, merely travel/entertainment/lifestyle publications- content is *always heavily swayed by the bottom line. Sorry if I popped your cherry).
But Mother Jones doesn't operate in that bandwidth and this San Francisco-based magazine with national and international influence is a must-read.
It doesn't bow to advertising pressures, popular opinion or what's in vogue. If I had to pick an adjective to describe its writing, I'd say "contrarian" and I say that with deep admiration.
Long before I fumbled then stumbled backwards into a career in publishing, I had an obsession with print that started at a young age. I madly devoured every magazine I could get my hands on. I spent every dollar on any and every magazine whose cover lines pinged my imagination.
My list wasn't precocious, it was Mad Magazine, TV Guide, Harper's Bazaar, Seventeen, Mademoiselle, an occasional perusal of Fortune and an obsession with The New Yorker.
(I dreamt of escaping my boring hometown of Buffalo and living in New York City and read its theater/gallery/events/movie listings like they were a treasure map).
But now with time being a precious commodity, I've regretfully let go of subscriptions I no longer have time to read, like watching leaves float away on a fast-moving stream. No more Rolling Stone, Food & Wine, More, People, Forbes, New York and on and on.
Yet, there are a few that've made the cut: The New Yorker, Cooks Illustrated, Vanity Fair (I'm a charter subscriber) and Mother Jones Magazine.
I'll renew my subscription and give one - or three - as Christmas gifts.
Buy a newsstand copy, if only to support Mother Jones' fine journalism and an excellent San Francisco institution, and consider a subscription.
Even if your politics are right-leaning, I promise you'll find information that'll be thought-provoking and interesting.
Mother Jones is a phenomenal magazine.